![]() | |
![]() | |
![]() |
Spirituality Information |
|
![]() |
The Dark Side of Spirituality
On reading Susan Cato's Time Magazine Canada piece titled, "In Search of the Spiritual," I became increasingly annoyed at the realization that many people keep making the erroneous split between religion and spirituality, when they are one and the same. For example, in the Time Canada piece, Rabbi Leigh Lerner, who leads the Temple Emanu-El-Beth Sholom, a Reform congregation in Montreal, states, "Religiosity may not be increasing, but spirituality is," confirming the notion that 'spirituality is separate and preferable to religion.' I would have to disagree with this notion. Why do people keep insisting that the ritual and setting of worship is religion? It clearly is not. Religion comes from the Latin root re-ligare which means to re-connect. Re-connect with what? To re-connect with the inner Hero, the Divine, the Sacred. It is the ultimate Grail Quest, the hero's journey, the spiritual journey, that we are all on: the Quest for Truth. Ask any Christian with a true understanding of the teachings of Christ about 'going to church' and they will tell you that the church, the physical church where people go to sing hymns and listen to sermons, is NOT the real Church. The real Church is the spiritual body of Christ where people fellowship in love. And where ritual is concerned, it clearly states in the Bible, "For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision means anything, but faith working through love" (Galatians 5:4, NASB). Religion is a window unto the unseen and is based on the years of spiritual experience of great teachers, prophets, and seers. It's not some ancient relic, like an old fashion or fad, to be thrown away under the guise of a new word like spirituality. It is a metaphor for life based on eternal principles. Along a similar vein, I completely disagree with Cato's last statement in her article that "In a skeptical age, religion can't be taken on faith." I would argue the exact opposite: religion can ONLY be taken on faith. Faith is the cornerstone, the foundation, of all religion and spirituality. Faith is the ability to see the unseen; a complete and total surrendering to the majesty of truth. It has nothing to do with believing or not believing, and everything to do with knowing and experiencing for oneself. One can question and seek all they want, and along the way some of their questions will be answered, but ultimately one must take the great leap of faith in order to experience transformation, because there will always be more questions than answers. I feel the confusion between religion and spirituality is causing a backlash against both the new agey mumbo jumbo of pop spirituality or 'spirituality lite' and the rules, rituals, and restrictions found within traditional institutions that claim to house religion and a move towards a more authentic, plain, honest, and sometimes blunt way of communicating religion and spirituality. I recently took a screen writing course with the legendary Robert Mckee who was talking about searching for the truth by exploring both the light and the darkness, the dual nature in all things (what I call the psychology of the hero and the psychology of the villain in my book). He was talking about what seems pretty also usually has an ugly side and mentioned that the lovely bird songs we hear are about some bird staking out its territory and letting all the other birds in the vicinity know not to dare invade his 'turf.' And all the other birds are just waiting to hear his song weaken and falter with age so they can "peck the mother fucker to death." To me, that was a spiritual statement, because it was the truth. There is going to be a move away from the crystals, séances, incarnations, mantras, affirmations, and also a move away from church hymns and sermons towards a quest for truth that involves a very authentic, plain, and direct way of communicating which will not tolerate any bullshit. We can see this already with the popularity, especially among youth, of Michael Moore's "Bowling for Columbine," and "Farenheit 911" the 'religion' of today's generation. A blunt and darker expression of truth is underway as people learn not to shun the shit behind the sunshine. Enter a new era: a journey into the heart of darkness. ___________________________________________________ Sharif Khan is a professional speaker and author of "Psychology of the Hero Soul," an inspirational book on awakening the Hero within and developing people's leadership potential. You can reach him at sharif@herosoul.com or by visiting http://www.herosoul.com Sharif provides inspirational keynotes and leadership development workshops that entertain, educate, and empower. To book Sharif as a speaker for your next event call:(416) 417-1259.
MORE RESOURCES:
|
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
RELATED ARTICLES
How to Hear the Voice of God In this series I would like to take you through the Word of God to show you how we can all clearly hear the voice of God. I would also like to show you how to train yourself in hearing and being led by the voice of God. Why The Universe Is User-Friendly After All! "Everything in the universe is a pitcher brimming with wisdom and beauty." -Rumi, 13th Century Sufi Poet and Mystic Is the universe friendly?On the surface this seems an absurd statement. Email From God - Or, How Such Big Ideas Get Into Such Little Hands It happens to us all from time to time, especially to creative types - that diminishing little voice from deep inside that is convinced that the things we do are no big deal, simply because we did them and we have trouble seeing ourselves as authors of anything truly important. "Basically," the voice whispers in sad despair, "if I did it, then it must be stupid, easy, worthless. The Trouble With Tarot Reading Anything can be used for divination; coins, tea leaves, cards, the flight of birds, the spilled entrails of captured enemies. The objects used are a focus for the psychic talent of the seer. Confessions of a Limousine Mystic! Observations from the Town Car.. Discovery of the Soul Imagine yourself marooned on a vast deserted island. You have been there for years, struggling just to survive, living within the most basic surroundings, gathering food, using only your hands and makeshift tools to scratch out an existence. Dead Man Walking One of my favorite movies is "The Green Mile". A memorable scene was when the presumably guilty murderer was being brought into the jail and they announced his arrival as "the dead man walking. The Best Laid Plans We all know that the best laid plans of mice and men sometimes go awry, so we shouldn't be surprised when the best laid lifeplans go awry, too.What "looks good on paper" doesn't always look as good when it comes up in your life, especially if - like so many of our learning experiences - the person or the situation that we're dealing with proves to be less than a positive experience. The Jabbok Experience Jacob had sent his family on across the river Jabbok. Now he's alone in the night with the river; this smooth talking, manipulating, deceiving Jacob. What Is Wrong With Being Common? The Emmaus Journal What is Wrong With Being Common? This questioning title has tenaciously lingered in my mind for the past few months. Precociously tethered within a shallow stigma and pushed to the cliff of distasteful obsolescence; it seemingly mustered one final effort within my mind to be heard. Halloween Rites For some of us, EVERY DAY IS HALLOWEEN!!! If you want to be unusual dress up as a nurse, secretary, grocery clerk or bank teller this year. Gypsy, vampires and shaman wanna-bes are everywhere already!Or you could get all Martha Stewart about it and practice the following festive rites, which find their origins in the British Isles and Europe for that "authentic" Halloween experience. Wisdom Quotes Point - Arguments Just Explain "What does it profit a man to have gained the whole world, and to have lost his soul?" - Jesus ChristYou don't need to be Christian to see wisdom in the words of Jesus. Simple quotes from men and women around the world, from present day or milleniums past, inspire and instruct us, regardless of the religious or spiritual tradition they come from. Loving People In Spite Of Them, Not Because Of Them! Before the movie "Finding Nemo", came out Steve Jobs the founder of the Apple Computer company spent millions of dollars promoting it. Before a major push on merchandise Nike will sign a multi- million dollar contract with some sports star. How To Fall With Style - The Art Of Sin Adam had it right when he covered himself with fig leaves. It's not that he thought it would cover his sin. The CAB Approach to Spiritual Growth I have been thinking a lot about the spiritual growth process and I thought I would share. I think that what enlightenment really involves is accepting the light that already exists within each of us and in every one and every thing. Stress Strategy: Flex Your Spiritual Muscles In his book, Stress Without Distress, Dr. Selye suggests that a person's interpretation of stress is not dependent solely on an external event, but also depends upon the perception of the event and the meaning he or she assigns it. It Took a Banker to Show Me What Jesus Was Talking About On January 13th 1982 an Air Florida flight crashed off the 14th Street Bridge in Washington DC. It was a bridge I had traveled across many times before during the year I lived in DC. Basic Tarot for Beginners If you would like to learn to read tarot cards, but have no idea who to ask to teach you or how to go about it, the following tips should help you get started on your path to telling fortunes just like a pro!Your first challenge is to choose a deck from the 8,000 or so published brands of fortune telling cards on the market. What works for one person often doesn't for another. God Loves You With the Love of God Do you ever feel that what you read in some Christian books is not really God's truth at all, but is merely the opinion of the writer, dressed up in the clothing of truth? Such books are merely imposters and are like the fig tree Jesus cursed-they look promising on the outside, but when you get up close, you find that they, like the fig tree, are barren, written for the glory of the writer and his or her ideas, not for the truth of God and his glory.Unfortunately, many sermons and teachings fall into the same category. Origin of Certain Thoughts (Part I) We all have spirit guides and we all benefit from their assistance, whether or not we recognize it. Only a few people can hear and exchange verbal communications with their guides, or occasionally see their foggy, ghostly image materialize; some people only sense their guide's presence; others know the signs that indicate their guide's presence; and still others do not believe these guides exist, much less assist us. ![]() |
home | site map |
© 2006 |